Should Realtors use Headshots on Business Cards?

CONDO CHICKS

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Should Realtors use Headshots on Business Cards?

Looking for opinions on using photos. Do you think it makes a difference if realtors use a picture of themselves on their business cards and webites? Or do you think it's more successful using just a logo? The Chicks are split down the middle on this one. :-) Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

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General Chit-Chat

CONDO CHRIS

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6 BEST REPLY

ROY BHANDARI

BabbleBee

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We've always shied (is that how that's spelled?) from headshots. Neither our business cards nor websites (as far as I'm aware...) have any headshots. I took some headshots when I first started in the business, but i'm poorly dressed (that baggy suit and fat tie...what was I thinking??) so I never really used them.
We are likely going to have some kind of imagery for the new website (www.talkcondo.com) because I do think it's important to show your personality (if you have one har har) - most probably in an "ABOUT US" section but that's about it. It also probably won't be a typical Realtor headshot. Look at BuzzBuzzHome - they've built an incredible brand and having Matt's picture all over the place had nothing to do with it (not sure if it would have helped or harmed :) )
However, if I was an attractive female then I would plaster my picture all over my website!!!

MATTHEW SLUTSKY

BuzzStaff

1969

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I really love logos, and branding your company as opposed to yourself.
By branding your business, you are more easily able to expand your reach. For instance, with the Condo Chicks and Talk Condo, you using two people but only having to work on one brand.
At BuzzBuzzHome we work hard on our branding, never the less our website also does have a picture of myself and Cliff Peskin. In retrospect, I would not have done this, and we will probably be changing the About Us page... if we ever get the time!

CONDO CHICKS

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I agree... I think the logo goes a lot further then headshots. People always remember it. Look at Coco Cola and McDonalds. I always don't think attractive women should put shots of them all over their site/blog etc. I think it can take away from the site and possibly attract the "wrong" clients. I can see one headshot (face only) in the "about us" section but that should be it!

ROY BHANDARI

BabbleBee

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one thing that I think most Realtor's overlook is the fact that we are trying to "BUILD A BUSINESS". A business isn't a transactional mindset going after each deal, but a series of systems that if executed will generate certain results ("deals"). If I were to retire tomorrow, I cannot sell "roybhandari.com", but "talkcondo.com" or "condochicks.com" probably has some equity in it....
I try to make my business more about what is done, and less about ME ME ME. If I am away on vacation, my business shouldn't stop - it keeps doing the things it's supposed to be doing - it's reliant on the "SYSTEMS" not on "ME".

CONDO CHICKS

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100%. So many realtors use their name as their brand but it will be hard to sell later.... People always will remember the brand- not the person, especially being in a business with so much competition!

ROY BHANDARI

BabbleBee

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^names as brand isn't ALWAYS a bad thing... think Harvey Kalles, Brad Lamb etc etc. have built reputations and certain traits come to mind when you hear their names. However, generally speaking, names are tougher to sell ... especially when no one can spell your last name....

ROY BHANDARI

BabbleBee

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I actually had a long conversation with myself about how to brand out twitter account. It used to be "amitandroy" and we weren't sure whether to a) have a separate account for Amit and one for Roy, b) leave it as amitandroy, c) rebrand as TalkCondo - each one has pros and cons. We realise that rebranding as "TalkCondo" loses some of the "personable-ness" that is important on twitter - but we figured that TalkCondo would be the dominant brand for the forseeable future so we went with it. It's not right or wrong...just decide with what you you want to do and do it 100%.
Andrew Lafleur is a perfect example - his web adress is TrueCondos but uses AndrewLafleur as his twitter handle - which one is his brand? I think you could argue he has built a brand for both TrueCondos AND Andrew Lafleur..... would love to get Andrew's thoughts on this LOL...

CONDO CHICKS

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Harvey Kalles and Brad Lamb have been around for a long time. It was easier to brand yourself back in the day. It's harder now since there is so much more competition!

ALEX

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I agree, I think branding is very important these day.
I really like thoughts on selling your brand after retiring.

NICHOLAS GAVEY

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Great points by both @Roy and @Condo Chicks. This is actually a topic that I have been debating about for months now. As soon as I got licensed I did everything with my name (website-nicholasgavey.ca, twitter-NicholasGavey, FB, etc) but have now just recently created a brand PropertyPlus.ca as I want to start building my brand/blog about the whole lifestyle aspect of living in DT TO and provide people with more then just real estate listings and stats.

The one thing I keep coming back to though is that real estate is a people business and at the end of the day isn't it going to come down to the individual. Maybe you can provide more insight since your brands are more established. Do people actually say "Hey I'm gonna use TalkCondo" or do they say "Hey i'm gonna use Amit & Roy"?

JOSIE STERN

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I use a headshot on my business card and I recently branded. I use my name on my logo because I have been selling real estate in a specific area for a long time and I felt using the recognized name on the logo is to my advantage. In my opinion I feel that branding under a different name, at this stage of my career, would be like throwing away many years of hard work to build that name or brand. If I were to start over, as a new agent today, I may do things differently but I feel that an established and recognized name is very valuable.

I don't think selling a real estate brand at retirement is as realistic as one thinks unless it's a brokerage or a large team with many of its team members still active after the principal retires. Our industry is all about relationship building and, whether you are a seller or a buyer, people generally want to deal with a specific person and not a company. Once you retire, the brand is diminished and would not have the same appeal.

NICHOLAS GAVEY

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Also some great points made by @Josie Stern. There really is no right or wrong answer and trust me I've spent HOURS debating back and forth and make pro/con lists LOL

JOSIE STERN

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I just want to add that a real estate business can continue to be very viable after a principal retires but, in my opinion, would only work if a succession plan was put in place years before one retires.

CONDO CHRIS

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I am my own brand so I like photos.. The more often people see my ugly mug - The better.

ERIC JOHNSON

NewBee

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To me there is a difference between a realtor on their own and a team. I work with some pretty big teams where the name branding and photos are of the team leader. They definitely standout by having the leader's face front and centre all over town but the downside is that the client expects to have that person be the one that works with them. They become disappointed when they never meet them. A team that brands itself as a team with a logo instead of a headshot, can then have agents come and go with no detriment to the team in terms of branding. It also becomes a business to be sold. If you work as an individual and brand using your name then use a headshot. A one person business is based on that per

ERIC JOHNSON

NewBee

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Hit the reply button by accident. A one person business is simply selling themselves and once that person is gone, there is no business anymore. Therefore it is not a business to sell. So why not use a headshot in this case. Brand yourself!

CONDO CHRIS

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...speaking of teams, Here's how I feel about those:

http://condochris.ca/2012/06/there-is-no-i-in-team/

MATTHEW SLUTSKY

BuzzStaff

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Has anyone ever met Frank Leo??

I see his headshot EVERY where, from bus-stop ads to park benches, to random business cards left around.

I have always wondered if this is actually what he looks like, or if this picture was taken in the 1970s.

JOSIE STERN

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@condochris I love your video. You are 100 percent accurate in everything you say. I bumped into an acquaintance the other day and she told me she listed her house with a top realtor 6 months ago but she hasn't see him since the day she listed. I just looked at her with astonishment and wonderered who was more remiss - she for sticking with the loser agent or he for his despicable behaviour.

JOSIE STERN

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@Matthew Slutsky That, Matthew, is "Leo the Lion". Yes that's his brand.

MATTHEW SLUTSKY

BuzzStaff

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But, @Josie Stern, does he actually still look like that?

JOSIE STERN

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@Matthew Slutsky I have never had the pleasure to meet him. But the photo is an old one because his more recent ones show a few more age lines.

GORD SMART

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@condochris Bam!! Spot on. We need more of your type of approach in Vancouver where there are "teams" everywhere. My in laws had that very experience selling a home about a year ago - throughtout the whole 4 week process, the only time they saw the "super agent team leader" (the guy whose name and picture is plastered everywhere) was when they signed the listing and the final contract. He wasn't even anywhere to be found at closing! And to boot, this was a $4M home! This guy does put his picture on his business card!??

JASON FRIESEN

NewBee

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have you seen my face? I don't want to scare clients away... just kidding...but i have noticed too many business cards are wayyyyy too busy with a million different things pulling yours eyes in different directions. I think keeping it clean and simple but doing something to make it pop like a thicker card or different size/shape or nice modern logo is more appealing than a picture or the fact that someone was a chairman's club winner in 1999.

CONDO CHRIS

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FRANK LEO has no more hair on his head than I do.

CONDO CHRIS

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... That is my actual biz card. Every day I go to the bakery by my office. Every Realtor in the neighborhood posts their card on the cork board. Every day I have to put a new card up because mine is gone... Every day, all the other cards are still there... This photo is me, but its from 30 years ago .. Just like Frank Leos!

JASON FRIESEN

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That is what i am talking about Chris, it grabs your attention and makes you want to look and it isn't busy at all. Is the card the regular size of a business card.

CONDO CHRIS

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No.. My card is the exact same size as it appears here AND it weighs 6 lbs so you always remember that you're carrying it..

ALEX

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@Condo Chris Post a picture of it. I think, I missed it.

MATTHEW SLUTSKY

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@Alex Balikoev ...check it out on the top of the Chat. It is chilling in the "BEST REPLY" spot, as it has received the most thumbs up on this thread.

CONDO CHRIS

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Maybe I need to make it a little bigger?

ALEX

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@Condo Chris Oh, I just realized it's you-)

VICTOR

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I design and print thousands of cards every year, and I noticed that 99% of the cards we print for Realtors, have a picture on them. I think in your business, the brand is the person. I will use you as my Realtor because I like YOU. If you work under Remax now, and move to Prudential later, I will follow YOU. My business card (http://www.kitaro10.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/cd_1.jpg) has a caricature on it, for fun. Many Realtors do that as well lately.

GORD SMART

BuzzStaff

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If it is true that the agent is the brand, then why do the big banner brands like ReMax spend so much money on their own branding? Rhetorical question perhaps, but ...

VICTOR

NewBee

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@Gord Smart Because they want you to remember Remax, and come back to Remax even if your Remax agent now left to work at Century21. For the same reason, you see more and more Realtors putting their own websites on business cards, like this one I designed last month:http://twitpic.com/alsarj/full

GORD SMART

BuzzStaff

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Very interesting discussion here... Was just looking at a Sotheby's flyer that came thru my mail. What struck me was that Sotheby's is clearing branding their banner ... The realtor name is barely legible along the bottom .. BUT ... What struck me was that the
properties were the focus! A bit of a chicken/egg scenario here .... Wondering what percent of people looking for a home secure an agent first, then look for a property - or conversely what percent find a property or area they love, then secure an agent to close and take of negotiations...?

CONDO CHRIS

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One of the reasons I choose RE/MAX as my brokerage is because I like to do advertising thats a little "out there".. People may not know what the hell they're looking at when they see a big tattooed guy... But as soon as they see the RE/MAX logo, they go "OHH its real estate" right away... I didn't get that recognition when I was with a smaller "boutique" brokerage..

MATTHEW SLUTSKY

BuzzStaff

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@Alex Realtor ...how did you decide to go with such a small business card?

VICTOR

NewBee

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@Matthew Slutsky Many, just like @Alex Realtor are going with square, oval, slim or other odd shapes and sizes lately. You have to do everything you can to stand out. Our 2.5" X 2.5" business card is one of the most popular business cards ever sold (http://www.otherdesigns.com/25-X-25-Rounded-Corner-Business-Cards_p_204.html).

ALEX

Buzzer

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@Matthew Slutsky square is my logo as well, so it made all the sense to me to go witha a square card. It is also different. I always try to take a different, more creative approach in my business.

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